Control for ironers



Patented Dec. 5.1939

coN'rnoL FOR momms George W. Dunham; Westport, and Raymond T. Lautz, Bridgeport, Conn, assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York' Application November 24, 1937, Serial No. 176,286 1 Claim. (01. 192-32) The present invention relates to the mechanism for operating ironers and the like.

The object of our invention is to provide an improved control for such mechanism, and for a consideration of. what we believe to be novel and our invention, attention is directed to the following description and the claim appended thereto.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a m perspective view of an ironer embodying curinyention; Figure 2 is an end view of the ironer; partly broken away to show the driving mechanism and the control therefor; Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 show- 5 ing the mechanism for efiecting rotation of the eccentric in 180 steps; Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-6 of Fig. 5 showing the manner of supportingthe knee operated control member on the under side of the table; Figure5 m is a top plan view of the linkage connectingthe 'knee operated control member and the control for the clutch, the linkage being shownin the inactive position; and Figure 6 is a view similar 7 to Figure 5, the knee operated member and the parts associated therewith being shown in the position following actuation of the clutch contr'ol.

Referring to the drawing, we have shown our invention applied to a rotary ironer having a shoe i and a roll2 supported by a housing 3 contain ing the mechanism for rotating the roll and for.

effecting engagement and separation of the roll and shoe. The housing is provided at its lower end with a flange 4 which rests on and is suitably secured to the top 5 of a suitable table.

The roll comprises a suitably padded cylinder which is supported by the housing and driven by the mechanism contained therein. Constructions for supporting and driving the roll are well known in theart and further illustration is not required for the purposes of the present invention.

' The shoe comprises an'arcuate metal plate 6 heated by suitable heating elements (not shown) arranged between the upper side oi the plate t and a cover plate i. The shoe is supported on an arm 8 which projects from the housing along the roll and which moves the shoe toward and away from the roll. Such constructions, likewise, are

well known in the art and further illustration is ivention.

In the lower part of the housing is an electric motor (not shown) having a shaft 9 on which .gg-is cut a worm ilwhich mesheswith" a worm not requiredfor the purpose of the present ingear. The worm gear is fixed on a shaft i2 extending across the side walls of the ironer housing. The end of the shaft adjacent the ironer roll is not shown. The other end is journaled in a boss l3 in a plate It secured to the end of the housing. Suitable gearing (not shown) is provided between the worm gear ii and the ironer roll for rotating the roll. Loosely mounted on the boss is is an eccentric i5 overwhich fits an eccentric strap E56. \Uponrotation of the eccentric, the eccentric strap is reciprocated and through mechanism (not shown) operates the arm 8 to move the shoe toward and away from the roll.

Slidably carried in radial slots in the eccentric are diametrically opposite clutch keys ii. The clutch keys are urged outward by coil springs it, the outward movement being limited by the engagement of shoulders E9 on the keys with an inturned flange 20 on a disk 2 ifixed toxthe boss i3. Outward movement or the clutch 'keys is prevented by a trip member 22 fixed to the ironer housing and by a trip member 23 fixed to a shaft 2% 'journaled in the norm housing. When the shaft 2 5 is rotated to a position in which the trip member 23 is clear of the adjacent clutch key N, the clutch key is moved outward into engagement with one of a plurality of slots 25 ina may. b returned to its normal position in a man- 'ner hereinafter to be described. Upon rotation of the eccentric through the "driving key is forced inward and moved out of the slot .25

.by engagement with the trip member 23. At

this time the other clutch key is'held in its inner position by the trip member '23 which has by this time been-returned toits normal: positiomf -It -is' obvious that by moving'the trip member 23 it is possible to rotate the eccentric in 180 steps. In

the roll. The above described construction is typical of constructions for effecting engagement and separation of the ironing elements;

. the successive positions of the eccentric the shoe is successively movedtoward and away from The trip lever 23 is moved to the position permitting movement 0! the adjacent-clutch key ii to the driving position by means of an arm 21 fixed to the lower end of the shaft 24. The arm is urged against a stop 28 on the under side of the table by means of a tension spring 29 arranged between the end of the arm and a pin 30 on the under side of the table. 0n the'upper side of the arm 21 is a pin 3| which fits in a notch 32 in a link 33. The link rests on the arm and is confined between the arm and the under side of the table top. The other end of the link is provided with a series of notches 34 which cooperate with a pin on a lever 36 to provide an adjustable connection. The lever 36 is pivoted on a pin 31 on the under side of the table and a tension spring 33 arranged between the link 33 and the pin 31 holds one of the notches 34 in the link in engagement with the pin 35. By moving the link 33 to a position in which the notches 34 are clear of the pin 35 the position of thelever 36 may be adjusted with reference to the link. On the free end of the lever 36 is a kneepad 39. By adjusting the position of the lever 36 with reference to the link 33 the position of the knee pad may be adjusted.

When the knee pad 39 is moved to theleft, as viewed in Fig. 5, the shaft 24 is turned in a countar-clockwise directiondue to the connection provided by the pin 3| and the notch 33, moving the trip member to a position permitting movement of the adjacent clutch key into one ofthe slots 25. This position of the trip member 23 will hereinafter be termed the driving position. when the trip member 23 on the shaft 24 is moved to the driving position, a pin 46 fixed to the under side of the table cooperates with an inclined surface 4| in a notch 42 in the link 33 to move the notch 36 in the link 33 clear of the pin 3| thereby permitting the trip member 23 to be returned to its normal position by the tension spring 29. The movement of the knee pad to the left is limited, as shown in Fig, 6, by engagement of a shoulder 43 with the pin When the knee pad is in the position shown in Fig. 6, it is independent of the ironer control and no matter how long the knee pad is held in this position only one 180 step of the rotation of the eccentric 'will be obtained. When the knee pad is released it is returned to its normal position by the tension spring 38. The link 33 is returned to its normal position in which the notch 32 engages the pin 3| by a tension spring 44 arranged between the link and a pin 45 on the under side of the table.

If when the link 33 is in the position shown in Fig. 5 it is moved away from the pin 3|, breaking the connection between the link and the lever 21, the right end thereof will be moved against a stop 46 on the under side of the table. The stop 28 limits the movement of the link 33 away from the pin 3| so that the right end of the link will always strike the stop 46. The stop 46 is shown as a separate element but it might be a flange depending from the table top. The link 33 would not normally be moved to this position. If it were, it would be returned to the position shown in Fig. 5 upon movement of the knee pad 39 to the left.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

In combination, a driven member, mechanism for efiecting rotation of the driven member in successive steps, a member for controlling said mechanism comprising a knee pad carried by a pivotal lever and a link operated thereby, said link having a series of portions spaced along its length engageable with a portion on said lever to provide a connection between thelever and different portions of the link whereby the position of the lever is adjustable, and a spring connected to the link for urging the link into engagement with the lever and for biasing the link to a normal position from which it may be movedby the lever.

GEQRGE W. DUNHAM. m

RAYMOND T. LAUTZ. 

